Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba held a detailed meeting to explore new avenues for strengthening bilateral trade, industrial collaboration, and regional connectivity between Pakistan and Ethiopia, with a particular focus on expanding engagement across African markets.
\nDuring the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in Pakistan\u2013Ethiopia relations and emphasized the need to transform this engagement into practical, results-oriented partnerships. The Commerce Minister highlighted that recent bilateral interactions have created a \u201cfresh foundation\u201d to jointly explore not only each other\u2019s markets but also broader opportunities across Africa.
\nThe Minister proposed organizing a multi-country business forum in Islamabad, inviting East African nations to witness Pakistan\u2019s industrial capabilities firsthand. He stressed that direct exposure would help reshape global perceptions about Pakistan and unlock new trade and investment partnerships.
\nHighlighting Pakistan\u2019s strengths, the Minister underscored the country\u2019s robust small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, which produces a wide range of goods including home appliances, engineering products, agricultural machinery, and consumer goods.
\nHe specifically emphasized the strong potential for cooperation in agriculture, engineering industries, and tractors, noting that Pakistan has developed significant expertise in these sectors which can support mechanization and productivity in African economies.
\nA key area of discussion was the cosmetics and personal care industry, where the Minister noted significant growth in Pakistan over the past four to five years.
\nHe proposed joint ventures between Pakistani and Ethiopian firms in cosmetics, perfumes, and related products to tap into rising consumer demand in both regions.
\nReferring to Pakistan\u2019s industrial success stories, the Minister invited the Ethiopian delegation to visit Sialkot, describing it as a unique example of private-sector-led development.
\nHe noted that the city\u2019s business community, led by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has independently built infrastructure including an international airport.
\nSialkot remains a global hub for sports goods, surgical instruments, leather, and footwear, with exports reaching billions of dollars annually, including to the European Union.
\nOn trade logistics, the Minister stressed the importance of improving connectivity and reducing reliance on third-country transshipment hubs such as Jebel Ali Port.
\nHe proposed enhancing direct maritime links through feeder vessels to African ports, which could significantly reduce transit time from over 10\u201312 days to just 2\u20133 days.
\nHe further highlighted Pakistan\u2019s geographic advantage, particularly Karachi, as a gateway for African exports to Central Asia through regional maritime corridors including Djibouti Port.
\nThe Federal Minister also highlighted the immense tourism potential in both countries, stating that Ethiopia\u2019s natural beauty and climate are \u201ctruly amazing,\u201d while Pakistan remains a \u201csleeping giant\u201d in tourism.
\nDuring the discussion, Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba informed the Minister that a Single Country Exhibition of Ethiopia is planned to be held in Islamabad by the end of this year, following the successful exhibition earlier organized in Ethiopia.
\nThe Commerce Minister welcomed the initiative and appreciated the success of the previous exhibition, terming it an important step toward strengthening bilateral trade ties.
\nThe Ambassador further shared that Ethiopian Airlines plans to launch direct flights to Lahore, which will significantly enhance business-to-business (B2B) linkages, improve connectivity, and promote cultural exchange between the two countries.
\nThe Ethiopian side appreciated Pakistan\u2019s economic progress and acknowledged the country\u2019s skilled human resource base and strong hospitality sector.
\nDr. Oba emphasized that human capital remains the most critical resource and called for deeper cooperation in education, skills, and institutional development.
\nBoth sides agreed that Pakistan and African countries stand at a pivotal moment, where diversification, industrial cooperation including agriculture, engineering, and tractor manufacturing, tourism promotion, and practical business engagement can unlock significant economic opportunities.
\nThey reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral trade, promoting joint ventures, and developing a long-term, quality-driven economic partnership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Dr. Oumer Hussein Oba held a detailed meeting to explore new avenues for strengthening bilateral trade, industrial collaboration, and regional connectivity between Pakistan and Ethiopia, with a particular focus on expanding engagement across African markets. During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-542834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n